16Hit1600
Craft and StructureMediumOverall structure of a passage

Craft and Structure practice question

The common view is that the printing press spread literacy by making books cheap. But books stayed expensive for a century after Gutenberg. What spread first were single printed sheets — ballads, notices, prayers — cheap enough for almost anyone. Literacy grew on scraps, not volumes.

Which choice best describes the overall structure of the text?

  1. A. It states a common view, notes a fact that conflicts with it, and offers a different explanation.Correct
  2. B. It describes how a printing press works.
  3. C. It lists the most popular books of the period.
  4. D. It argues that literacy did not grow after Gutenberg.

Answer: A. It states a common view, notes a fact that conflicts with it, and offers a different explanation.

Common view, conflicting fact (books stayed expensive), new account (single sheets): the shape of the passage.

Why the other answers are wrong

B. It describes how a printing press works.
The press's mechanism is never described.
C. It lists the most popular books of the period.
No books are named.
D. It argues that literacy did not grow after Gutenberg.
The passage says literacy grew — on scraps.

More Craft and Structure questions

Not affiliated with the College Board. SAT is a trademark of the College Board.